The invention relates to an apparatus for keeping poultry according to the preamble of claim 1.
Such an apparatus is known from U.S. Pat. No. 1,633,773. The known apparatus discloses a chicken-roost hanger comprising having means for preventing insects such as mites or the like from getting on the roost from the wall of the house in which the roost is mounted.
From practice an apparatus for keeping poultry is known which is provided with poultry support means on which the poultry, at least at night, rests. Such an apparatus is known per se. As a rule, such an apparatus comprises a laying nest, comprising a compartment in which it is dark and in which the poultry lays eggs which are subsequently carried off; a grid, also called bin, adjacent the compartment and on which the roosts, nipple drinkers and feeding troughs are situated, and a free-range area. Most often, the grid is located on opposite sides of the laying nest. The roosts, on which the chickens sleep, are mounted on the bin and, with the aid of supports, the grid rests on the fixed world, in this case the ground. A drawback of this apparatus is that the poultry louse, which is mostly active during the night, can simply reach the poultry to suck itself full of blood. As a result, the legs of the chickens have blooded cuts, so that the poultry often leaves blood smears on the eggs. These blood-smeared eggs are not suitable for sale in the retail business, so that the economic value of blood-smeared eggs is considerably lower.
In the existing apparatus, it is only possible to free the apparatus from poultry lice by heating the chicken coop for several days up to 65xc2x0 C., which means an evacuation of the chickens, which is only possible after a full xe2x80x9croundxe2x80x9d of 65 weeks and entails heating costs. In the past, it was also possible to use highly toxic agents to kill the poultry lice but the use of these agents has recently been prohibited by the government for reasons of harmfulness to the environment and public health. Only exterminating agents may still be used.
An object of the invention is to screen poultry at least at night from crawling vermin, such as poultry lice.
The object contemplated is achieved with an apparatus which is characterized by the features of claim 1.
Because all parts from which the apparatus is built up, notably the poultry support means, are manufactured such and assembled in such a well-fitting manner, that, during the daytime, the chickens can free the environment from poultry lice in that the poultry lice cannot hide in cracks and the like, the poultry is able to remove poultry lice and dirt which holds poultry lice. The triangular longitudinal profiles offer the advantage that the chickens can easily reach the surfaces thereof with their legs so as to clean them. Because the height of the cross strips is such that the chickens can reach the lower side of these cross strips with their legs, the chickens can also during daytime completely free the supports of the grids from poultry lice. In this manner, formation of clusters of poultry lice underneath the grids is prevented.
Research has shown that during the day, the poultry louse is present somewhere on the fixed world, for instance in the free-range area or on the grid. When the poultry, such as, for instance, chickens, are awake and perceive the poultry louse, they eat it, and, in this manner, keep the free-range area and possibly the grid, free of poultry lice, at least when the poultry louse is in a position where it can be reached by the poultry. The poultry lice which have been hiding during the day and which have not been eaten by the chickens, try, at night, when the chickens are asleep and are not capable of keeping their direct area of residence free of poultry lice, to reach the chicken and to suck themselves full of blood.
Research has also shown that the poultry louse can only move by crawling on or against a surface while the position of the inclination of the surface is not important. The poultry louse, therefore, can walk up and down a straight wall, but also against a ceiling and, naturally, on a floor. The poultry louse cannot fly or jump.
Research has further shown that the poultry louse, to reach the poultry, can travel, during the night, in a crawling manner, a distance of 15 meters between its position on the fixed world and the poultry.
As every connection with which the poultry support means, such as, for instance, roosts, are connected to the fixed world, comprises a trap, every possible route for the crawling vermin to the support means is blocked. Hence, the crawling vermin cannot reach the poultry on the support means.